Building construction



Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER H. VENZIE, 0F PHILADELPHLA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK 1 M. VENZIE, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Application filed January 16, 1932. Serial No. 587,057.

This invention, generally stated, relates to a building construction and has more especial relation to a ceiling, wall, or partition erection.

5 Primarily the invention has for its leading object to provide a construction in which plastering is entirely eliminated so that a ceiling, wall, or partition may be erected in a room, even though occupied, without the usual annoyance and discomfort attached to a plastering job.

A further object is to provide a construction of the character stated which may be expeditiously erected by unskilled labor not connected with the Plasterers Union.

- A further object is to provide a construction in which panels of plasterboard, glass, or other material may be erected with respect to channel irons by means of metal clips, the division lines between said panels being covered by means of trough-shaped thin metal casings which conceal the cracks between adjacent panels, the channel irons and said clips.

A further object of the invention is to make use of the casings as used in conjunction with the panels for ornamental purposes by painting the casings in contrast to the panel coloring to accentuate the panelled construction.

Other and further objects of the present invention reside in the provision of general details of construction and in the arrangement, combination and connection of parts for attaining the results sought by the foregoing objects.

The invention consists of the novel construction hereinafter described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a partition illustrating the panelled effect;

Fig. 2 is a View in vertical section taken upon the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in l1orizontal section taken upon the line 83 of Fig,

Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal section taken upon the line 4:& of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the clips used in connection with our invention; anc

Fig. 6 is an edge View of Fig. 5.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawing one form thereof which'is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawing in detail, there is shown in Fig. 1 a completed wall or partition and illustrating in connection with the panels thereof a so-called chair railto be hereinafter referred to. For illustrative purposes, a partition or wall is shown, although my invention is applicable to ceiling erection. The reference numeral 10 designates a floor and the reference numeral 11 a ceiling. The reference numeral 12 designates a series of vertically disposed spaced channel irons anchored with respect to the floor and ceiling in any desired manner. Arranged between adjacent channel irons are rectangular panels which may be conventional plasterboard 13, as illustrated, or which may be glass or other desired material. These panels are so spaced thata division line or crack occurs between the vertical edges of each panel and that channel iron adjacent thereto. These panels are supported by means of metal clips 16, best seen in Fig. 5, and a detailed description thereof will hereinafter appear. Each clip is shaped to engage first a channel iron and thereafter to engage adjacent panels, best seen in Fig. 3. There is thus left remaining an open space or crack designated by refer-. ence number 1 1 in Fig 8, through which may be viewed the channel irons 12 and the clips 16. In order to conceal these parts and at the same time add to the appearance of the wall, partition, or ceiling being erected, there are provided trough-shaped casings 17 of thin metal, best seen in Fig. 3. These casings are shaped to interlock with the clips 16 in a manner to presently appear.

Before describing the manner of erecting my novel structure, a description will first be given in detail of the clip shown in Fig. 5. Each clip is stamped from a single sheet of thin metal and comprises a flat elongated plate 18 having an elongated central slot 19 guarded by a pair of opposed prongs 20. This arrangement of parts is arranged to engage a channel iron as shown in Fig. 3. Each end of the plate 18 is cut out as at 21 out of alignment with the slot 19. The cutout portions 21 are arranged to receive the ends of the panels 13, as best seen in Fig. 3. The plate 18 is provided with downwardly bent tongues 22 and 23 adjacent the cut-out portions 21 against which the panels 13 abut to prevent endwise and lateral movement of the panels. Each end of the plate 18 is provided with tapered ears 24 having rounded corners 25 which extend in a direction toward the cut-out portions 21. The rounded corners 25 assist in guiding the flanges 26 of a casing 17 into the cut-out portions 21 of the plate 18 in abutting rela tion with the side wall of a panel 13, thus securely wedging together a clip, panel, and easing as best seen in Fig. The plate 18 intermediate the tapered ears 24: is provided with a pendant flange 27 to add strength and rigidity to said clip.

To assemble, for instance, a partition as disclosed in Fig. 2, the channel irons 12 are vertically positioned in spaced relation. The clips above described are then arranged horizontally in spaced relation throughout the height of adjacent channel irons by snapping the slotted part 19 and prongs 20 to the flanged portions of said channel irons. Next the panels 13 are introduced between adjacent channel irons 12 and the ends of the panels seated in the cut-out portions 21 of the clips so that the panels are interlocked against lateral and vertical movement. In order to complete the partition, the casings 17 are fitted to place to conceal from view the channel irons and clips. This is accomplished by snapping the flanged portions 26 over the cars 24 to engage in the cut-out portions 21 of the clips. By painting the casings in accordance with the color scheme of the partition a. good efiect may be obtained.

It is sometimes desirable in the erection of a wall or partition to add extra casings .to form chair-rails as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. 7 First, bottom panels 30 are positioned upon the floor 10 and the sides of the panels caused to engage with the channel irons 12 by means of clips which are duplicates of those above described. Next, the top edges of the lower panels 30' and the bottom edges of the upper panels 13 are coupled together by means of clips which are similar in all respects to those already described. Thus the upper panels are interlocked with respect to the channel irons and lower panels and the lower panels are interlocked with respect to the channel irons and upper panels. The casings 29 which are duplicates of the casings 17 are then snapped to position to form chair-rails, it being understood that the flanges 30 of the casings 29 engage in the cut-out portions of the clips in the manner described with respect to the easings 17.

What is claimed is:

1. In a building construction spaced, parallel metal studs, metal clips engaging snapfashion said metal studs, each clip being cut-away at opposite ends to receive'the edges of opposed panels, panels arranged between adjacent metal studs and engaging in said cut-away portions, and a trough-like casing spanning the space between adjacent panels to form an interlock between said panels and clips and concealing the latter and said metal studs.

2. In a building construction spaced, parallel metal studs, metal clips engaging snap.- fashion said metal studs, each clip being cut-away at opposite ends to receive the edges of opposed panels, panels arranged between adjacent metal studs and engaging in said cut-away portions, and a trough-like casing spanning the space between adjacent panels, said casing having opposed flanges for engaging in said cut-away portions to form an interlock between said panels and clips and concealing the latter and said metal studs.

3. In a building construction, spaced, parallel metal studs, metal clips engaging snapfashion said metal studs, each clip being cutaway at opposite ends to receive the edges of opposed panels, panels arranged between adjacent metal studs and engaging in said cut-away portions, and a trough-like metal casing spanning the space between adjacent panels to form an interlock between said panels and clips and concealing the latter and said metal studs.

t. A construction as described in claim 1 characterized by said casing being rectangular and elongated and being of thin metal and arranged to engage sald clips snapfashion.

5. A construction as described in claim 1 characterized by upper and lower spaced panels coupled together by clips and a horizontally disposed trough-like casing spanning the space between said upper and lower panels and concealing the clips connecting said upper and lower panels.

6. A clip of the character stated comprising a one piece metal stamping consisting of an elongated flat plate having a metal stud engaging slot guarded by opposed tongues and having at opposed ends slots to receive the edges of opposed panels, and having at each end tapered ears having rounded corners for guiding the flanges of a casing toward said slots.

7. A clip of the character stated comprising a one piece metal stamping consisting of an elongated flat plate having a metal stud engaging slot guarded by opposed tongues and having at opposed ends slots to receive the edges of opposed panels, which slots have tongues extended thereinto for panel abutment, said plate having at each end tapered ears having rounded corners for guiding the flanges of a casing toward said slots.

8. A clip of the character stated comprising a one piece metal stamping consisting of an elongated flat plate having a metal stud engaging slot guarded by opposed tongues and having at opposed ends slots to receive the edges of opposed panels and having at each end tapered ears having rounded corners for guiding the flanges of a casing toward said slots, and a strengthening flange extended from said plate intermediate said ears.

WALTER H. VENZIE. 

